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Episode IV - 16 Aug 2015
Last time on Forgotten Ones.... With a brutal attack on the pursuing Avka mother, the heroes manage to make it into hyperspace without the Imperials spotting them. Once on their way, Shi Krem discovers a stow away in the cargo hold. Having crashed his own ship on the harsh planet, Mikal Rahl managed to hide himself away on board the Atin Oya'ka while the others were preoccupied with the Avka. The 10 day trip from the planet Durace where Nadia and the new arrival Mikal were rescued from ends as the ship drops out of hyperspace near Bespin’s orbit. In short order the Citadel class ship, the Atin Oya’ka, borrowed from Ghurn Skirata lands on the waiting platform. Nadia is at the controls and is in the process of powering down all the systems. "I can take everything here if you want to head over to the Venture." Shi Krem nods, stretching. "Wow, I haven't had that much downtime in ages." Nadia: "Not counting the last 15 years?" she asks with a laugh. Shi Krem: "That doesn't count." H3-4L B07 head over to the venture Nadia: "Guess it would only count if you were awake to remember it." she teases. Shi Krem tags along with Bill. Story Teller: Since you've been gone, a significant amount of repairs have been performed. The layer of dust which seemed to permeate everywhere has since all been cleaned up and the ship seems to be brought back to its former glory. Or at least close to. The power reserves are still much lower than the should be. Anthony B.: im here. thanks for covering H3-4L B07: "Honey we're home!" Story Teller: Mikal follows along with the group. And like with Shi Krem, Eve detects his presence in the docking bay and stops him. This time closing the blast door heading into the ship proper. Mikal Rahl smacks into the door. Mikal Rahl: "Um...?" Eve: "Unregistered personnel detected! Identify!" Shi Krem: "Oh yeah. That's Eve." H3-4L B07: "Yeah I know, I picked up another straggler eve. Yell at me about it latter." Mikal Rahl refrains from cracking a quick 'Yo mama'. Mikal Rahl: "Mikal Rahl, caf enthusiast and lucky guy overall." Mikal Rahl: "Ally, friend, family, best buddy... okay whaddya want?" "I jumped on the ship, they grilled me like nerf steak, and now I would like to come aboard." H3-4L B07: "Heh, this is funny to watch." Eve: A light beam encompasses him, scanning him. Finally the voice says. "Mikal Rahl, has been registered as a guest. Welcome aboard." Then the door in front of him opens Mikal Rahl throws up his hands in frustration and stomps across the threshold. "Droids," he mutters. "I gotta get me a barcode or something..." H3-4L B07: "Damnit! Another droidist. Eve, what's the galaxy coming to where everyone's prejudiced against us synthetics huh?" Mikal Rahl puts his hands up. "Oh no, nothing like that. You lot are just extremely meticulous. I like my organisms dumb and easy to manipulate." Eve sounds rather put off as she answers. "One artificial intelligence seems to be the same as any other." Mikal Rahl winces as he glances at the others. "Not that... ya know, my grave is getting deeper and deeper..." Shi Krem shrugs. "What's the status on the repairs, Eve?" H3-4L B07: "Ah, a manipulater then!" H3 shouts from the cockpit. "Just what we need! And Eve I would have found that statement outdated in my own time." Mikal Rahl shakes his head. "Not really what I meant. You can bluff, intimidate, and persuade most beings. An AI? A droid?" He scoffs. "Might as well talk to a metal door. It's a comfort to know you are that attentive. Probably scanned my underwear too huh?" H3-4L B07: "One A.I. Is quite different from another." Mikal Rahl sighes and drops it. Mikal Rahl glances around. "This thing got the means to send long-range encrypted comms?" He clears his throat. Eve: "Repairs are at 90 percent completion. Estimate two days of continued repairs and one day power recharge." "Indeed I do, Mikal Rahl." Eve voice comms out of the surrounding intercoms in the area of whoever is speaking to her and making requests Mikal Rahl: "Thank you. I'll talk to you about it another time." Eve: in that way, not everyone hears what is being said unless you're in the same room as another person talking to her Mikal Rahl: noted. Shi Krem: "Oh yeah, is Ghurn here to see us?" Eve: "Ghurn Skirata has been eagerly awaiting your return. I took the liberty of messaging him upon your arrival." "He has not, however, messaged back." H3-4L B07: "Eve, would you please bring up all available records on one senator/emperor Palpatine. New information on his rise to power has neccessitaded further investigation." Shi Krem: "We did leave pretty suddenly..." Mikal Rahl perks up at that. "You looking for history?" H3-4L B07: "Their are no coincidences kid. A jedi master told me that and I've never forgotten it. The only government in the galaxy to have emperors before was the sith. If palpatines one of em' I need to know." Eve: "Of course, Assessing information." There's a pause as she processes the request. A terminal comes to life on the port side of the bridge. "Information is available on the port terminal." Mikal Rahl: Can I do three rolls to see how much I know about the miltary, political, and social rise of the Empire after Order 66? im thinking Knowledge Tactics, Bureacracy, and Galactic Lore Eve: are you trained in all three? Mikal Rahl: yes H3-4L B07 starts reading through all the files trying to piece together what the galaxies masses would overlook. Being that H3 has worked against and for the sith he might be able to see the more subtle signs." Story Teller: then go ahead Mikal Rahl: Knowledge (Bureaucracy) 16 Knowledge (Galactic Lore) 27 Knowledge (Tactics) 21 Did I lag out? H3-4L B07: I don't think so Mikal Rahl: oh nvm. "I don't know about him being a Sith. The Jedi surely would have noticed that. But he, or someone close to him, must have been very powerful to have wiped out the multitudes of Jedi, not to mention the Masters. Maybe Lord Vader was present. Who knows?" H3-4L B07: "But who is Vader, that's the real question. If he was a jedi close to palpatine then theirs no doubt. If he's someone else entirely then maybe palp's clean. Either way I gotta know. The sith have never brought anything good into this galaxy." Mikal Rahl: "Sounds to me like we need more information on Vader. There's no way Pappy can just snap his fingers and POOF! Godlike minion. He came from somewhere." "Oh hell." H3-4L B07: "Exactly! Now your seeing the big picture." Mikal Rahl: "You know where we are going to have to look at some point right?" H3-4L B07: "I don't know what you could possibly mean kid." Mikal Rahl: "The Temple ruins." H3-4L B07: "Heh, yeah we'll just stroll up and say 'Hello, might we investigate here!'" H3 mocks in an imperial accent Shi Krem: "I believe he could be the... Chosen One. It was an old prophecy, one of the oldest. It foretold the coming of someone who would restore balance to the Force." Mikal Rahl: "They've likely been removed completely but you can't scrub a Force incident like that clean. And you guys-" he waves his hands around. "-seem like you're pretty good at finding the dirty stuff in the Force." Shi Krem: "But I don't think it took into account the Chosen One being Sith..." H3-4L B07: "Yeah, call me a non believer but I'd call the force pretty unbalanced." Mikal Rahl clears his throat. Shi Krem: "Hence the prophecy." Mikal Rahl: "Well..." he glances at Shi cautiously. "Not really." "I mean... the Jedi had all but wiped Darksiders from the galaxy... maybe..." He glances at her again. "Maybe that WAS the balancing act." H3-4L B07: "No no no. You see the darkside is an imbalance in the force. To be in balance is for the darkside to be non -existant." Shi Krem: "It's very possible, I was never much into history, I preferred to focus more on the present." Mikal Rahl: "That," he says quietly. "Is open to interpretation." H3-4L B07: "Trust me, I've lived the history. If the jedi did believe this prophecy, then they knew the sith were still active somewhere out their." "And if they didn't then they were complacent fools." Nadia steps into the doorway, listening to the debate. Mikal Rahl: "I'm no philosopher, I just know what I feel. And I feel the Force. Not the Dark, or the Light, but the living Force. How I choose to use it determines the face of it. I've not had to brush the Dark Side, or the Light." H3-4L B07: "Bah, with a thousand odd years of relative peace I'm surprised the jedi weren't swept away by the beureacracy of the senate." Mikal Rahl: "Ha. Ironically, if your theory about old Pappy holds, you might not be wrong." Nadia: "There... may be one way to get answers." Mikal Rahl: "Think about it. If the Emperor is a Sith, how many of his minions were and are sitting on the Senate now? Hundreds, I would bet." Mikal Rahl looks over. "Stargoogle?" H3-4L B07: "It is conflict that strenthens us and peace that erodes us. The clone wars may have cost many jedi their lives but the survivors are so much stronger for it!" "Ah, nadia. How are you feeling?" Mikal Rahl shakes his head. "Strength and power are two very different things." H3-4L B07: "Hmph, strength is a form of power. Power itself has many forms." Nadia smiles and shakes her head. “Doing good. She bounces on the balls of her feet. "Almost good as new." JT: is it just me or am I talking straight up sith philosphy now? Mikal Rahl: yup Nadia heads over to one of the consoles and quietly makes a request to Eve. Mikal Rahl: "Good to hear. Your idea?" H3-4L B07: "Well if anything feels like it's not in place let me know. And indeed. How might we obtain these answers my mandalorian friend?" Nadia: "Good, hold off on projecting it, Eve," she says before turning back to the others. She frowns deciding where to begin. “During my recovery, I have had time to reflect on some things. ” She pauses to look around, as if what she's about to say was a bit hard for her. “My mother once told me a story about an academy on the planet Almas in the Cularin system. There were a great deal of artifacts stored there, including a holocron I.. feel.. might still be recovered. " Mikal Rahl stumbles off of the console he's sitting on. Mikal Rahl: "No way." H3-4L B07: "Hmmm. Jedi or Sith, If I might ask?" Nadia shakes her head. "I don't know for sure." Shi Krem hmms a bit. "And no feeling of what it may contain?" H3-4L B07: "I hope it's jedi. The sith were very secretive but I got a look at a few. Never was on good enough terms with the jedi to wee one of their holocrons." Nadia: "Just that whatever it contains can help us find our answers." "Eve, please activate the projection." Shi Krem: "Well then we know our next destination." H3-4L B07: "Hmmm, so how far is Almas?" Sunny: do i know anything about this academy? Story Teller: At her command a world displays in its holographic glory, with basic information displayed around it. You can roll Social, or Lore if you're trained in any of them H3-4L B07: "Tarisian? A refugee world after the bombardment?" Sunny: >a jedi being trained in skills. hah Story Teller: go ahead and roll Sunny Shi Krem: Knowledge (Galactic Lore) 20 JT: I has lore but I don't think I would know of this world Anthony B.: Ill give it a shot Mikal Rahl: Knowledge (Galactic Lore) 25 Any rumors? Story Teller: Almas is the fourth and outermost planet in the Cularin system. Over a thousand years ago, a plant named kaluthin took root on the icy, lifeless world, nourishing itself from large underground lakes. Over time, the kaluthin synthesized the planet’s poisonous atmosphere (composed in large part of methane and phosphorus) into enough oxygen to sustain carbon-based life. Still, prolonged exposure can be hazardous to one's health due to trace amounts of toxins, and breath masks or atmospheric regulators are strongly recommended. The local nights on Almas are not determined by the distant twin suns. Wherever kaluthin grow (everywhere except in the dead zone), their phosphorus-filled leaves absorb the moonlight and make the surface of the planet glow. It takes a while for newcomers to adjust to the dusk to dawn cycles, which are determined by the kaluthin’s leaves being either spread open or closed. A century and a half ago, the Jedi established a training academy on Almas. The town of Forard was subsequently built, forming a circle around the Jedi academy. Several sadrin farms were found wherever kaluthin grew. All were recently abandoned, however, shortly after the academy was destroyed. Now the academy ruins and the surrounding town buildings are regularly despoiled by salvagers looking for valuable loot. The academy was attacked at the end of the Clone Wars by three starships, which took the resident Jedi by surprise. One was a Cularin Allied Force ship that was brought down by Jedi starfighters and crashed into the academy grounds. Another was a mercenary vessel destroyed by allies of the Jedi. The third was a black starfighter that fled shortly after the assault, possibly carrying the party responsible for the attack. Mikal Rahl: OH GOD one sec Story Teller: oops Shi Krem: lol Story Teller: that was meant for Mikal H3-4L B07: Good then I don't have to read it Mikal Rahl: I RELAY THE INFO BEING JAMMED INTO MY HEAD! Story Teller: knew I should have put it in his jourlan H3-4L B07: aww damint Story Teller: I updated the Almas journal entry there's still Social Science info... Mikal Rahl collapses after rattling off the massive amount of info like a bad case of impulsiveness. Alicia G (GM): Mikal knows his history apparently! H3-4L B07: "Hmm, so the academies been heavily pillaged already. A hidden vault perhaps?" Shi Krem: "Hmm, I can't say I've ever been to that academy. But from the sound of it we're probably going to have a hard time finding something as lucrative as a holocron." "Especially after the Separatist bombardment." Mikal Rahl: "Sounds like a wild goose chase to me, buuuuuut..." He glances at the planet readouts. "...there aren't any Imp forces on this planet so it can't hurt." "Well wait a sec." "We have several Force sensors right here. Are you saying that with our combined efforts, we might not be able to locate a Force-heavy artifact?" Alicia G (GM): The population readouts are severely out of date you notice. Apparently it hasn't been updated since the Clone Wars Shi Krem: "Well it doesn't work /quite/ like that." H3-4L B07: "Hmm no, the jedi were always clever, especialy the loremasters. Able to hide the most critical information in seemingly trivial records. If they hid a holocron their I doubt any but a skilled manipulator in the force could locate it." Shi Krem: "But I think we'll be able to find it, regardless." Mikal Rahl: "I mean, maybe each of us on our own couldn't, but..." He glances back at the monitor and opens himself to the flow of the Force, seeking guidance. Use the Force 35 Alicia G (GM): Here's a question... do you want Nadia going with you? Otherwise she and Aela were going to get up to something together (Aela still will, but I'm sure she'd like the backup) Sunny: oh my god do you have equal UtF to me Mikal Rahl: +17 H3-4L B07: "Mikal, are you a conduit to the force as well?!" H3 sounds almost agitated Sunny: you do JT: I think we can handle this while the mando babes have some fun. we should talk to ghurn before leaving thou Sunny: darn i wanted top babe nadia with us Mikal Rahl: "...together, we are more powerful than any foe." He finishes and turns around grinning, practically radiating. He looks at H3. "I am strong in the Force, I suppose. My brother was a Jedi; he died in the Clone Wars." H3-4L B07: "WHY?! Why by the makers BONES do I keep running into force users? I mean WHAT ARE THE ODDS, when force users are all but gone that I seem to run into every KARKING ONE THAT'S LEFT?!" He pauses for a moment "I'm a scientist I should know that." Mikal Rahl shrugs. "Shi got a taste of it earlier. How do you think I'm still alive?" JT: I said this before but we retconed it Story Teller: That we did... neither of them would know it anyways Mikal Rahl: He grins at H3. "Simple, H3. You seek strength, so you find it often. The Force is powerful; it guides us in our actions, even those who cannot feel it. And..." He spins around to point at the holo planet. "That IS the way we need to go." H3-4L B07 begins staring off into space calculating the odds Shi Krem: "It could also be dumb luck." Mikal Rahl: "There is no 'luck'." Story Teller: "I uh.. have some bad news for you... Aela and I won't be joining you." H3-4L B07: "Didn't your master ever teach you? Their no luck, their is the force." Mikal Rahl: "Just my luck." H3-4L B07: "Your not thinking of getting into trouble now are you?" Story Teller smiles and shrugs"I don't get into trouble... it just finds me." She waves it off. "Uncle Ghurn has asked us to leave for another mission right away." Shi Krem: "Well, stay safe. You know I'll know if you get in any trouble." H3-4L B07: "Well then I suppose that's alright, If you and aela are covering each other. And did Ghurn ever get the rest of our creds for the nyrian job?" Nadia: "I can provide you with coordinates to the system. There is, unfortunately, a complication. The system is surrounded by a dense cloud of comets that is extremely hazardous to attempt traversing without either an accurate survey of a safe path, or an advanced sensor array that can plot a reasonably safe course through the dangerous cloud.” Eve pipes in “Navigating the comet cloud will not be an obstacle. However, landing will be.” Nadia: "He told me he used it all to get the parts for the Venture. Like you had requested." H3-4L B07: "Hmm I suppose that's alright then. Eve? Can the remaining repairs be made while in hyperspace or should I hop to work?" Eve: "Repairs can continue en route. Estimated arrival is one day. The system contains a power source suitable to replenish the energy stores while retaining a holding pattern." H3-4L B07: "Well then plot us a course as soon as your ready. I'll assist the repair crews." H3 strolls out to assist in eve's repairs. Mikal Rahl looks around awkwardly. Mikal Rahl: "I'll just.... go be useful then." Nadia glances at Shi with raised eyebrows. "I think with Ozel and Aela occupied Bill has designated himself Captain." Mikal Rahl: oh wait. can i familiarize myself with the controls? I have Pilot. no bonus or anything. i would just occupy my time with Pilot and Use Computer to learn how to do basic things. Story Teller: Whenever you get close to the controls to miniputate them, the board turns off Shi Krem shrugs. "The clone wars are over. I'm not a commander any more." Mikal Rahl: "Ah. No copilot. Got it." H3-4L B07: "I was a fierce pirate captain once you know!" H3 shouts from down the hall. "Arrgh, all batteries fire on the hutt scum!" H3 shouts lost in a memory Nadia snickers. Shi Krem: "Is Ghurn coming to see us off by the way? I'd hate to leave him hanging again." Nadia turns to Mikal. "Eve is rather tempermental about who has access to flight control." H3-4L B07: "No mercenary filth can handle the might of captain blackwire! Sourge of the outer rim!" Mikal Rahl: "Noted. Well then...." He looks around. "Time for some R&R." He heads to Recreation. Nadia glances over at Shi. "Oh.. Uncle is fairly busy right now getting things ready for Aela and I to depart." Nadia starts heading for the dorm. "Speaking of. I need to get my gear.. All the good it's going to do me..." Shi Krem: "Ah, well send him our regards anyway. And you and Aela stay safe, I'm sure I don't need to worry though considering who it is." Mikal Rahl glances back. "Good luck out there, Nadia. You're the only person here who hasn't grilled me, and I notice. Thank you for trusting me." He says quietly. "Good people are hard to find these days. Too bad the lot of you are crazier than Geonosian jumping beans." He steps through the door and continues to Rec. H3-4L B07: "I resent that comment laddie! I ain't crazy. I'm just not be very user friendly." H3 now having a rather piratey accent Nadia: "I will that. Aela and I are a good team. We'll watch each other's backs." She makes it to the dorm and starts sorting through her chest. Not bothering to put her armor on. Mikal Rahl 's eyes bulge. Story Teller: are you in the walls JT? JT: Captain blackwire is everywhere! Mikal Rahl: "Friggin bot! Ninja programming too! Thank god I didn't live in your time!" meh. Eve opened a comm line as a joke. JT: mainly the ships intercomm Nadia stops in her packing. "Be careful on Almas... Any ties to the Jedi may very well lead to a trap." JT: and H3 linked his coms into the ship intercom on the first or second night Mikal Rahl: Nice map, btw. Nice and clean. Mikal Rahl nods at Nadia. Mikal Rahl: "Fortunately, I know of no Jedi." Nadia: Deception is in order Mikal Mikal Rahl: yup. Deception 19 Nadia: Perception 24 Nadia: who want to see if they can tell if Mikal is lying? Mikal Rahl: NOBLES who is in the room? Nadia: she's actually not a noble Mikal Rahl: no i mean "Nobles: dependable social skills until you really need them." Nadia: well since you're pretending to be in the dorm. I'm guessing Nadia, and Shi Krem H3-4L B07: "and cap'n blackwire be everywhere and no where." Mikal Rahl: thats fine. more fun this way anyway ROLL DEM PERCEPTIONS Mikal is more than meets the eye. Alicia G (GM): and Sunny has gone afk again... JT: and Bill's a robot in disguise Mikal Rahl: turns into a latrine Sunny: sorry, sorry Shi Krem: Perception 26 Nadia narrows her eyes for a moment at Mikal, catching his lie before closing the lid to the chest Mikal Rahl: OH CMON ok one sec. lemme stumble. H3-4L B07: .ooc your a better liar than the droid who pretends to be an old man Mikal Rahl stutters. "W-why would I be concerned about that?" He quickly turns and leaves. Mikal Rahl: No worries Sun. I'm drinking like a manic Russian rightn now Shi Krem doesn't particularly care, she seems a bit distracted as she makes her way to the atrium, intent on pushing the tables to the side to make herself a training pad. Nadia suddenly embraces Shi Krem, before grabbing her chest and lugging it out. Mikal Rahl: Totally misread that. Shi Krem seems a little shocked, and doesn't really have time to return it. Nadia: "Bye Eve! Bye Bill. Oya!" she calls before she disembarks completely. Happy hunting Shi Krem chuckles, now making it to the atrium. H3-4L B07: "Yarrg! Good luck to ya lassie!" Mikal Rahl quietly whispers her luck before laying down, loneliness washing over him. Alicia G (GM): I'm going to take a 10 minute break. feel free to RP amoungst yourselves Shi Krem starts pushing the tables to the side, making herself a large empty space she could use for her exercising. Story Teller: The atrium has actually been set up with raised beds for plants. More of a hydroponics garden, only nothing there has been living for a while H3-4L B07: "I can fix that with some time and a basic genetics lab." Story Teller: ok JT.... you need to stop being where you're not JT: sorry Story Teller: if you're going to be somehwere you need to declare it Shi Krem makes a mental note to put everything back and get the garden up and running in the future. Story Teller: if you want to be there then RP it. JT: no H3 is busying himself with repairing the mechanics of the ship for now. He will bring life to the ship later Story Teller: ok.. Now's the time to declare if there's anything you'd like to do before leaving Bespin The astromech droids you've fixed up btw, are hard at work repairing the Venture. They're taking shifts, allowing time to recharge and perform maintence on themselves as well Alright.. anything else? Shi Krem has nothing of note she needs to do. Story Teller: Anything you'd like to declare for the one day journey? H3-4L B07: "I'm a pirate!" Story Teller: btw... what are you guys going to be using to land on the planet? Mikal Rahl: ? Shi Krem spends the day in the atrium practicing her form. Mikal Rahl: Landing struts? Story Teller: The venture is too big and clumsy to land on a planet Mikal Rahl: Do we have a dropship or shuttle? Sunny: does it not have a landing shuttle? Story Teller: it has escape pods, but nothing like that currently. There is a place for a shuttle to go. Mikal Rahl: okay then. how about hovering? ascension gun+50 foot drop combo H3-4L B07 I shall retrieve our shuttle, if Ghurn and the others don't need it of course. Story Teller: again... atmosphere isn't exactly this ship's friend.. think more along the lines of a capital ship as far as how she does on a planet Mikal Rahl: oh hell. Story Teller: Aela and Nadia are actually using it for their mission Mikal Rahl: maybe we could get our hands on a cheap shuttle Sunny: time to go full ODST Mikal Rahl: DROPTROOPERS any jetpacks on board? Story Teller: you also have to think of how you're going to get back Mikal Rahl: MOAR jetpacks hmm Knowledge Tactics for guidance? Sunny: ill just force jump back into low orbit Mikal Rahl: "just" i force assist one sec okay wait it cant hurt to go into orbit and see if there's a port. we could hire or request a shuttle. Mikal Rahl: if no civilization, we go buy/rent a shuttle. if civilization, we bribe/beg Story Teller: Looking at the ads.. there's a used Orbital Service Shuttle for sale Mikal Rahl: Bleh. Cabbies. Better than nothing. I relay the idea. Note to self: get two shuttles. Story Teller: The cost for this one is 20k Mikal Rahl: O_O JT: steal it! Mikal Rahl: chaotic good man. i shouldnt H3-4L B07: Do It! Story Teller: remember you have a contact in Ghurn.. Sunny: just have ghurn lend us a smaller, unarmed shuttle hes sure to have one Story Teller: what's the verdict on the shuttle (if there's something else you have in mind voice it now) Mikal Rahl: i wouldnt know about the shuttle, or who Ghurn is, so I'd be open and happy for alternate solutions a.k.a. i go with it Story Teller: Heh... There's an older Herald Class shuttle which still seems to be in working order. Bill would be very familiar with this model as it was prevalent in his day. 10k for it JT: I have no Idea how much creds we have Mikal Rahl: ahhh the GMs after muh money alright i do it Story Teller: haven't been keeping track JT? Mikal Rahl: 17k on this end H3-4L B07: Nope, H3 wasn't paying attention to what we were payed Mikal Rahl: first real contribution i can make anyway H3-4L B07: especially bad since he took the credit chit Sunny: wait what you guys are fucking rich i have like 300 Story Teller: OK.. so Mikal buys the rundown Herald class shuttle, which has seen better days, but has been kept in operating condition in some form H3-4L B07: Well I have 5k and some change listed but I don't know how much we split from the nyriaa job Mikal Rahl: blows a raspberry at the cred he just spent Sunny: i dont remember taking a vow of poverty... H3-4L B07: also What happened to ozel? H3's other rich noble type friend? Story Teller: I haven't been tracking but you guys used most of it to repair the droids Mikal Rahl: we get to keep that shuttle, i hope. Story Teller: depends on how badly you roll :) H3-4L B07: Okay then so the 5k is what I had left over Mikal Rahl: roll... what? H3-4L B07: yeah cus we burned most of it on fixin' the droids Story Teller: roll when things happen ok! moving on! Several hours after leaving the Bespin System, your starship exits hyperspace at the calculated point just outside the Cularin system. Exactly as most of you were warned by Nadia, you notice innumerable comets of all shapes and sizes occasionally colliding with each other, forming an enormous cloud around the system. Fortunately, Eve immediately begins to analyze their erratic patterns and calculates a safe path through the cloud. Once past that danger, another jump must be calculated to avoid flying for weeks at sublight speeds. However, this time the calculations are trickier due to large, overlapping gravity wells created by the system’s dense planet cores. But you know people who’ve made the Kessel Run, and this can’t be worse than skirting the Maw cluster. Several more hours later, you again emerge from hyperspace and the planet farthest from Cularin’s twin suns comes into view, lambent and mysterious: Almas. The first thing you notice from orbit is the strange luminescence that emanates from the planet itself. The twin suns are too distant to illuminate the planet, and you are approaching from the side facing away from them. Yet most of the surface emits a faint glow, except for one dark spot where the Jedi academy happens to be located according to your nav computer. H3-4L B07: "This bodes ill." Mikal Rahl whispers. "Something isn't right here." Mikal Rahl: "Let it go on record that this is a bad, and good, idea." Shi Krem: "Hmm? What do you mean? I hear those plants are actually quite a sight to see." Shi Krem references the glow. Eve: "The phosphorescent flora is called the kaluthin." Mikal Rahl frowns. "I've got a bad feeling about this." Shi Krem: "Yeah, those." Eve: "It has been contributed in the terraforming of the planet from the high methane and phosphorus atmostphere to a high oxygen atmostphere. Outside the areas it thrives, however, the toxic atmosphere remains." H3-4L B07: "Glad I don't breath." Eve: "It is recommended to proceed with caution and use breath masks." H3-4L B07: "It's not corrosive is it?" Mikal Rahl: "Five creds says it is." Eve: "Negative." Shi Krem: "A breath mask huh? Where am I gonna get one of those?" Mikal Rahl: O_O "Lucky bastard." H3-4L B07: "You owe me five creds." Mikal Rahl waggles his breath mask. "Hello? You're a Kel Dor? You already wear a mask." Mikal Rahl: shit im drunk too, Mikal Rahl hands five creds to Bill. Shi Krem: "And the sarcasm flew parsecs above his head." Eve: "There is a supply of breath masks and filters in storage should they be needed." Mikal Rahl: oh hell. i call player stupidity, GM. :D Eve: "D8 reports that your shuttle is ready for departure." H3-4L B07 moves to the shuttle Mikal Rahl: I look at the others. "This IS reliable, right?" Alicia G (GM): Shuttle is being stored in the airlock fyi which also doubles as a smallish hanger H3-4L B07: "If it isn't I'll make it work." Mikal Rahl clomps aboard the shuttle. Eve: "Warning: while you are on Almas, the Venture will be in stealth mode orbiting the systems twin suns. It may be difficult to contact me if there is trouble." Shi Krem: "There's a stealth mode?" Mikal Rahl: Hey GM can I snag a couple filters? Just oog. Eve: "The Venture has been equipped with an advanced Sensor Mask" Alicia G (GM): yup H3-4L B07: "Understood Eve. If things go south we'll broadcast panic word Corduroy" Mikal Rahl: okay. adding two breath mask filters to inven. Shi Krem: "Oh, nice. If there's nothing left to do let's get planetside." The shuttle's nav computer instructs you to land near the abandoned cluster of buildings formerly comprising the city of Forard. There is no spaceport control to direct you—the landing beacons have been extinguished for close to seventeen years. Lading the ship is not difficult, since the terrain around the town is flat for hundreds of kilometers. Mikal Rahl: Eve handles the piloting, yes? Story Teller: Nope, one of you will have to since Eve's AI doesn't extend past the Venture Mikal Rahl: mind if I, guys? H3-4L B07: "Go for it." Sunny: i aint got force piloting yet so Mikal Rahl eagerly grabs the controls, eager to prove himself. Mikal Rahl: here comes the nat fail. Pilot 21 Story Teller: no need to roll Mikal Rahl: my bad Shi Krem is deep in trance the entire way down, trying to sense any dark side presence. Story Teller: You've landed out side of the city. You got a fly by look of the city. JT: Research Station? Story Teller: Unless you say otherwise, you've landed in the spaceport, which appears to have been abandoned and is under disrepair Mikal Rahl: I pilot into it. Makes sense to me. Story Teller: Do people need a red bull? Shi Krem is still waiting on the result of her force sensing. Shi Krem or if she needs to roll. Mikal Rahl: actually im doing great. tipsy and really enjoying the game. well done. Story Teller: Roll it, didn't see it JT: and I'm quite wasted Shi Krem: Use the Force 35 Mikal Rahl: the player base especially is very good. need to find more players like this. O_O back to game. sorry. JT: I've basically been having a cup the equivalent of a big gulp that's about half full of alcohol Alicia G (GM): Sunny and JT can attest to how many applications I go through to make sure I get a cohesive team :) Shi Krem furrows her brow, grunting a bit in disgust. Sunny: im pretty sure your game is one of the most popular on roll20 as a whole H3-4L B07 folds his arms wondering what became of his friend ozel and GK Story Teller: They've been running missions for Ghurn and you haven't seen them in awhile H3-4L B07: "I hope their alright." Story Teller: Doing anything else on the shuttle? JT: also ghun has gotten quite a band of mercenaries at his disposal and no Alicia G (GM): he has that Shi Krem: "Be on your guard, I can sense an immensely strong dark side presence radiating from the temple." Story Teller: academy.. sorry.. Idk why I keep calling it a temple Sunny: whats the difference really JT: basically the same Sunny: templecademy As you walk, you see the city is empty of men, women, and children. Hostile winds whip through the lifeless streets and between the alleyways of abandoned buildings. Like most of the planet, the unchecked kaluthin has taken over, growing up to 2 meters tall in some parts of the city. And yet, the plant fails to mask strewn debris and the occasional skeletal body—the calling cards of looters and bandits who plundered the city after the unexpected attack years ago. JT: but seriously why was their a research lab here? Mikal Rahl: "Something isn't right here..." H3-4L B07: "No did the desolate streets or the jedi's feeling of melevolence tip you off?" Mikal Rahl dons his breath mask. Mikal Rahl: "All better. Knew I forgot something." Shi Krem subtly rests her hand near her lightsaber, ready if any shenanigans happen. Walking through the discarded remnants of old lives, you notice the empty twin buildings housing the local children’s school. To your left, you see faded graffiti on the wall, below a sign that reads “Remembrance Hall.” A collective chill runs down your spines as you make out suspiciously red letters that say, “DEATH TO THE UNFAITHFUL." When you get within a hundred meters of the academy ruins, you realize that all the kaluthin inside this radius has died off. This area is as dead as the entire planet was millennia ago. Story Teller: From here on, the use of glowrods to light way is needed as the kaluthin is non existent here providing no light. Mikal Rahl draws his blaster pistol. Mikal Rahl: "Guys... I'm not liking this." "Make ready. No telling what's been out here." Shi Krem ignites the glow rod strapped to her chest, as well as the motion tracker in her goggles. Mikal Rahl thinks. Story Teller: make perception checks please H3-4L B07: Perception 32 Mikal Rahl: "Alright, wait up. Anyone other than me good at scouting (Stealth)?" JT: maybe also low light Mikal Rahl: Perception 27 Shi Krem: Perception 17 Shi Krem is busy discerning that force presence to notice other happenings. Story Teller: ok. You all get the feeling you're being watched, though you can't determine by who or what. You catch only shadows and the jostling of metal and debris. Mikal Rahl: Can I knowledge tactics to understand we are likely in an ambush? or maybe (if surprise round) give us a move action to cover? Story Teller: Reaching the outer buildings that surround the academy, or at least what used to be the academy. Extrapolated from the Coruscant temple's designs, only a few crumbling walls of the Jedi learning center are still visible. Mikal Rahl: nvm. i be paranoid. "Hey guys, we need some overwatch. I'm going to scout around." Shi Krem: "Stay with Bill, I'll scout ahead." Mikal Rahl: "Alright then." Shi Krem leaves no time to protest as she immediately ducks off into the shadowy ruins, her glowrod going out. Shi Krem is going to be sneaky as she skulks around the ruins. H3-4L B07 holds position scanning the surounding area Story Teller: WHo is going to get closer to the center? Mikal Rahl takes cover near a ruin and watches his surroundings casually. Mikal Rahl: I'd guess Shi. JT: I am awaiting word from shi this is a jedi matter so I am answering to the jedi Shi Krem taps her comm. "Proceed slowly into the center, I'll be making a quick perimeter around the academy." Shi Krem: "Try to utilize cover." Mikal Rahl: JT, are you a frontliner? Sunny: hah, no thats aela Mikal Rahl: Because I could, but I dont wanna. JT: I can be hp is 88 Sunny: is there like, adequate cover strewn about leading up to the academy? Mikal Rahl: Okay. So in-character, we wouldnt KNOW we're probably about o get jumped, and Shi is elsewhere. So.... (cringes) I'll take the lead. Sunny: aside from the cover of the darkness, that is Mikal Rahl: Yaaaaaay showboaty characters JT: you worry too much well be fine Story Teller: There's plenty of debris from when the academy was bombarded. Some of the buildings surrounding the grounds apparently got hit too, but not many. It was a precise set of strikes this map fyi.. is not to scale use it as a guide to what the area looks like, but it encompasses a large area Sunny: how long would a full ring around the outside of the academy take? Mikal Rahl: understood bleh dont bother. Story Teller: you've got 4 quadrants of empty buildings. all of them falling apart. With the academy's couryard/grounds at the center. The debris in the middle is where there once was a tower which would have mimicked to ones on Coruscant Mikal Rahl: i would go in after 10 minutes, tops. Story Teller: awhile, you're talking kilometers to trek Sunny: where are we coming in from btw Mikal Rahl: in-character, we would have seen the city abandonded, and my guy would only know Imps to be dangers. So, if no Imps, no danger. Story Teller: likely from the SW as that;s where the spaceport is Shi Krem is going to run the length of that southwest quadrant then, that should only take like 15 minutes right? Mikal Rahl: Alderaan doesnt do much to prep a city-boy. Story Teller: Nearing what might once have been the entrance to the academy grounds at the center of the city, a cacophony of barely intelligible voices assails your ears. Mikal Rahl: like, internal whispering voices, or lots o' people voices? H3-4L B07 runs towards the nearest entrance his inquisitive nature getting the better of him. Mikal Rahl: better question: does the droid hear it? i check with him. Story Teller: people voices Shi Krem is shadowing the party, keeping her eyes peeled for any shenanigans. Sunny: or... shadowing from the front, i guess? Mikal Rahl: "Do you guys hear that? Sunny: scouting, thats the word Story Teller: Getting closer? Sunny: do i make out anything before they do? JT: running in Story Teller: Getting closer, you spot three rotund beings in space suits towering over five aliens that look like rabid canines with blue fur. A member of each group is engaged in a tug of war over what looks like the upper half of a tarnished silver protocol droid. “Ged your unholy pseudopoda off dis Holy Artifact, Zquib-thing,” the big one says The little guy retorts, “From our dead, cold paws, ugly Ugor fiend-being! We did the location finding of this silver-ish, prettisome treasure pre-secondary!” “It is unfortunate,” the half-droid says, “that Jedi Master Lanius never programmed me for a denouement of this particular design.” “Hey, byu!” One of larger ones yells, popping off its helmet and turning part of its flabby amoebic body into an arm to wave Bill over “Hey byu, tell Zquib zinners we find dis Holy Artifact infinitely dimes infinitely before dem. Blease!” Shi Krem tries to whisper into her comm. "Bill, stop running headlong into danger!" As the Squibs’ and Ugors’ attention turns to the approaching team, they seem friendly enough as they encourage the team to come closer and assist them. Will the team work to assist the Ugors’ and Squibs’ contention, and what is they have found in their silvered find? Find out next time! Category:Forgotten Ones